Best of Boston

2013 Best
Restaurant, General Excellence

Hungry Mother

Hungry Mother was formerly located at 233 Cardinal Medeiros in Cambridge. / Photo by Michelle Goldstein for Best of Boston 2013

It’s hard to find a place in Boston that better exemplifies the national shift toward casual fine dining than this Kendall Square darling, which serves its inspired, refined take on southern cuisine on polished wooden tables topped with mason-jar water glasses. Here you’ll find the impeccable service, top-notch cocktail and wine choices, and outrageously good desserts (chocolate-espresso chess pie, strawberry-shortcake trifle) that you’d expect from a first-rate restaurant—all in an atmosphere that welcomes elbows on the table.